BRICS nations adopt joint declaration social protection, skills and future of work at Hyderabad meeting
A BRICS ministerial meeting held in Hyderabad adopted a joint declaration on social protection, skills development, and the future of work
The declaration commits member states to expand social protection coverage, formalise labour markets, strengthen the portability of benefits for migrant workers, and improve digital tools for labour administration, including for gig and platform workers
A new voluntary cooperation platform, "BRICS CONNECT," was launched, focused on capacity building for social security, women's workforce participation, skills development, and digital public infrastructure
Alongside the ministerial meeting, the BRICS Trade Union Forum, also convened in Hyderabad, separately adopted its own declaration addressing labour rights and the impact of artificial intelligence on work
The meeting forms part of India's ongoing BRICS chairship calendar for 2026
BRICS — Composition, Expansion and India's 2026 Chairship
BRICS began as an informal grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), with South Africa joining in 2010 to form BRICS. It has since expanded significantly, evolving from a symbolic emerging-economy grouping into a broader platform for cooperation among major developing economies on trade, finance, and now labour and social policy.
Key Details
- BRIC was formed in 2009 (first summit at Yekaterinburg, Russia); South Africa was added in 2010, making it BRICS
- In the 2024 expansion, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE became full members effective 1 January 2024; Indonesia joined as a full member on 6 January 2025
- Saudi Arabia's accession remains unresolved as of 2026 — it has participated in some meetings but has not completed a formal accession
- India holds the BRICS chairship in 2026, its fourth time doing so after 2012, 2016, and 2021
The Hyderabad labour and employment ministers' meeting, along with the parallel Trade Union Forum, are part of the calendar of ministerial and track-2 engagements India is hosting during its 2026 BRICS chairship.
ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation, 2012 (No. 202)
The Social Protection Floors Recommendation (No. 202) was adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2012. It is the first international instrument offering guidance to countries on closing social security gaps and progressively building comprehensive, universal social protection systems, defined as nationally-set basic guarantees covering essential healthcare and basic income security across the life cycle.
Key Details
- A non-binding ILO Recommendation (soft law), meant to guide national policy rather than create binding treaty obligations
- India's existing social-security architecture for informal workers — including the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana, Atal Pension Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana — is often cited as aligning with the social protection floor approach
- The Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidated nine earlier central labour laws and, for the first time in Indian statute, defined "gig worker" and "platform worker" as categories eligible for social security benefits
The BRICS declaration's emphasis on extending social protection and portability of benefits to gig and platform workers mirrors both the ILO's global social protection floor framework and India's own Code on Social Security, 2020, situating India's domestic labour reform within a South-South multilateral setting.
India's Gig and Platform Workforce — Scale and Regulatory Response
The rise of app-based gig and platform work has created a fast-growing but largely informal segment of India's labour force, prompting statutory attention for the first time through the Code on Social Security, 2020.
Key Details
- NITI Aayog projections estimate India's gig and platform workforce could reach around 2.35 crore (23.5 million) workers by 2029-30, up from about 77 lakh (7.7 million) in 2020-21
- The Code on Social Security, 2020 defines a "gig worker" as a person performing work outside a traditional employer-employee relationship, and mandates a Social Security Fund for gig and platform workers, with contributions from aggregators
- Broader informal employment remains dominant in India: Periodic Labour Force Survey data indicate over 90% of India's workforce is informally employed, with rural informality (around 74%) higher than urban (around 57%)
The scale of India's informal and gig workforce is a key reason the country has actively pushed labour formalisation and digital social-security registration — themes central to the Hyderabad BRICS declaration — as national policy priorities.
Multilateral Labour Governance — BRICS Compared with the ILO and G20
Labour and social protection issues are addressed at multiple multilateral levels: the International Labour Organization's tripartite structure (governments, employers, workers), the G20 Employment Working Group, and now BRICS-specific mechanisms such as the Hyderabad declaration and BRICS CONNECT.
Key Details
- The ILO's tripartite structure requires government, employer, and worker representation in policymaking, a model followed by the parallel BRICS Trade Union Forum held alongside the ministerial meeting
- The G20 Employment Working Group similarly produces non-binding declarations on labour issues; India hosted the G20 presidency in 2023
- BRICS CONNECT is described as a voluntary, flexible platform, distinguishing it from binding treaty-based mechanisms
The Hyderabad declaration adds a BRICS-specific layer to existing global labour governance architecture, allowing India and other member states to coordinate on social protection and future-of-work issues outside formal ILO or G20 processes.
- BRICS formed 2009 (as BRIC); South Africa added 2010; full members expanded in 2024 (Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, UAE) and 2025 (Indonesia)
- India's 2026 BRICS chairship is its fourth (previously 2012, 2016, 2021)
- ILO Social Protection Floors Recommendation (No. 202) adopted in 2012
- India's Code on Social Security, 2020 consolidated 9 central labour laws and defined "gig worker" and "platform worker" for the first time
- NITI Aayog estimate: India's gig/platform workforce projected to grow to ~2.35 crore by 2029-30, from ~77 lakh in 2020-21
- Over 90% of India's workforce remains informally employed per Periodic Labour Force Survey data